


become the moon (and please take care)

by ackermanx



Category: Granblue Fantasy (Video Game)
Genre: M/M, Minor Character Death, sun/moon au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-31
Updated: 2018-07-31
Packaged: 2019-06-19 18:13:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,179
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15515682
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ackermanx/pseuds/ackermanx
Summary: legend has it that if two people marry during an eclipse, their union will be forever blessed.this is the story of why.





	become the moon (and please take care)

**Author's Note:**

> i think i wrote this entire thing in a caffeine induced delirium so apologies for any inconsistencies throughout
> 
> rackam/noa Good. mlem. also i had to take some liberties with mithra since canon mithra is a giant ball of gears? cant mischaracterize them if they dont have any lines amiright
> 
> (also hewwo sonnie i love u i hope u enjoy <3)

"Come closer, young one. Closer. I...must tell you something."

 

Noa walks farther into the cave that he's in, swinging his lantern as he goes. "Mithra? Did you need something?"

 

Faint coughing emanates from the darkness. Worried, Noa swings his light a little higher -

 

\- Then immediately wishes that he hadn't. Where shadows once were, Mithra now sits, and if it was hard to determine his human form before, it's downright impossible now.

 

"Now I know what you're thinking. How could beautiful, irresistible me turn into an ugly mess like this?"

 

Mithra gestures at himself; his skin is currently turning the exact color and texture of moon rock, his movements are slow and jerky, and his voice sounds like gravel crunching. Noa manages a laugh at the self-deprecating joke, but can't help the wave of worry and revulsion that passes through his body.

 

"Is it happening, then?" he murmurs. "Are you turning into the moon?"

 

"Yes, oh yes, I am - and _finally_ , may I add. Which brings me to my original point. I want you to be my successor."

 

Deathly silence fills the cave. Noa swears he can feel his heart stop.

 

"You want...me? Are you sure about that?"

 

"Of course I am," Mithra nods sagely (or tries to, at least). "And I should be the one apologizing to you. Being in charge of the moon is harder than simply being a child of the moon, and there's a possibility that you'll turn into...this."

 

The revulsion seats itself deeper into Noa's gut against his will.

 

"Ah," he can hear Mithra continuing in the background, "but I have a good feeling about you. I think you'll be the one that ends the cycle."

 

"Ends the - ? So it can be stopped?"

 

"Oh, anything can be stopped if you bother to find out how. But I think that's enough depressing talk for today; sleep tight, Noa, and we'll talk again."

 

"Okay," Noa agrees, even though part of him now feels deeply unsettled and he doesn't really want to leave Mithra all alone in this dark cave. "...Good night, then. Sleep well, won't you?"

 

"I'll try my best, but I appreciate the thought." Mithra laughs, the sound coming out as a low rumble in his throat. "More importantly, you get some rest. Tomorrow will be a hard day for you."

 

"Will it? Then I'll try my best as well."

 

One last smile, and Noa sets his lantern on the ground and begins picking his way out of the cave by memory. He really doesn't need the light - Noa has perfect vision in the dark, thanks to him being a moon child - but he can't help feeling terrible about Mithra being trapped in his own home like this. Especially when Mithra used to make it a point to stay up late enough to greet the sun as they crossed paths.

 

...If Mithra couldn't come to the light, then Noa would bring it to him, dammit. He owes the man this much, at the very least.

 

"Hey!"

 

There's a shout in the distance, startling Noa out of his thoughts. His brain freezes for a few seconds but he does have the good sense to stay still, so that when Noa finally does recognize the voice as Rackam's, the sun itself comes hurtling over the horizon.

 

"Hey!" Rackam yells again, waving frantically from the arriving sun. "Doing alright?"

 

Noa musters up a smile and waves back. "I'm fine, thank you. It's nice to see you again, Rackam."

 

"You too! Been a while since I've seen you alone out here. The old man's been working you hard, hasn't he?"

 

"I suppose he has been, yes. I've been learning how to steer the moon and take care of it, in case…"

 

Noa's smile falters. It's only for an instant, but Rackam is onto it like a hawk. "So," he says slowly, almost as if approaching a wild animal, "how is Mithra doing, anyway?"

 

"Fine," Noa decides to lie through his teeth. "Just not feeling very well at the moment, I think hey may just be in need of some rest."

 

"Huh," Rackam replies, in a way that implies the exact opposite of belief. "You'll let me know if he gets wose? You know I won't suddenly stop being your friend because Mithra isn't here."

 

The logical side of Noa believes this; it's unlike Rackam to lie about something like this, and they have been friends for a while, haven't they? But he's never really been a sentimental person, so he evades the question instead and counters with "isn't it getting a little late? It's too soon in the year for the humans to see an eclipse."

 

Rackam's eyes widen in sudden realization, and Noa can't help the chuckle that escapes him when he hears a muffled "shit."

 

"You're right, I gotta blast. Talk to you later, don't be a stranger, all that jazz?"

 

"Of course," Noa says warmly. He waves at Rackam's retreating figure, slowing and eventually stopping when the sun is just a bright speck in the distance.

 

Feeling slightly sad (but noticeably lighter than before), Noa decides to turn in for the time being. He won't need to do much, not until either Mithra calls for him or he crosses paths with Rackam again. Now's a good time as any to get some rest - his little home at the bottom of a particularly deep crater is starting to sound extremely appealing, Noa won't lie.

 

He curls up on the ground and hugs his own chest in a feeble attempt to keep some of his newly gained warmth trapped inside.

 

Noa isn't positive, but his instincts tell him that he's going to need it.

 

* * *

  
  


Mithra isn't there when Noa wakes.

 

Noa has to force his panic down to a reasonable level, because there could very well be a reasonable explanation for this. Mithra could have decided to sleep in today. He could be waiting for Noa to appear - unlikely, given Noa's relatively regular visiting hours, but not completely out of the picture.

 

Rackam is still far away, so there's no chance of Noa asking for advice. He might as well wait until his regular time to check on Mithra.

 

The time passes by agonizingly slowly in a way that Noa didn't even know was possible. He watches the horizon anxiously, waiting for the stars in the sky to align just right before grabbing a spare lantern and half-running to Mithra's cave.

 

"Hello?" he calls into the dark space. There's no response, save for the echoing of his own voice back at him, leaving Noa no choice but to keep pressing on.

 

The first thing that he sees at the end of the cave is one of his own lanterns, the flame long gone dead.

 

The second thing that he sees is Mithra, but it's no longer Mithra anymore. Where the moon rock should be warm and show hints of life, it's cold and unforgiving. And Noa can no longer sense Mithra's presence like he used to be able to.

 

Which can only mean one thing.

 

Mithra is dead.

 

Noa knew this was coming - had sensed it long ago, when Mithra had first started to complain about his limbs stiffening, when he had first begun to learn about his own origins. "You are a moon child," Mithra had told a younger Noa, holding this younger Noa's hands and smiling earnestly. "I made you from the rocks of the moon and breathed life into you, and one day, you must return."

 

There's a lump in Noa's throat. He thinks that he's going to be sick.

 

He drops his lantern and barrels out of the cave, nearly running over an approaching person in the process. "Hey there," Rackam says, worry evident in his tone. "You alright?"

 

Noa inhales and shakes his head.

 

Rackam pulls him into a hug as best as he can, letting Noa bury his face into his chest and steady himself. "The old man...is he gone?"

 

Still not trusting himself to talk, Noa nods as best as he can.

 

" _Shit_ ," Rackam mutters quietly. "Do you need me to stay with you?"

 

Noa laughs dryly. "You can't. It's already been too long, we both have duties. If the sun doesn't rise on the other side of the earth…"

 

"I really wish you'd be more selfish, y'know? Forget your duties, take care of yourself for a day. But if you insist…"

 

Reluctantly, Rackam prys himself away from Noa's grip and hops back onto his own star. "I'll be back, okay? Back before you know it."

 

"Back before I know it," Noa echoes hollowly, sorely tempted to take Rackam's advice and let him stay. "I...I'll see you, then."

 

This time, it's Rackam that waves until he's out of sight. Noa watches him go, practically collapsing onto the moon's surface when Rackam is gone, and hugs his own chest tightly again.

 

He can't feel the warmth anymore, but he has to believe that it's still there. Noa doesn't know what he'll do otherwise.

 

* * *

  
  


Sure enough, true to his word, Rackam stops by the first chance that he gets.

 

"Feeling better?" he smiles sheepishly. "Still feel like I should've stayed, but I guess if you insist…"

 

"A...a little better, yes." Noa manages a small smile that doesn't feel fake. "I think, now that you're here again, it feels a little less barren. I've gotten so used to having someone else to talk to, I don't know how I'm going to do this on my own."

 

"Hell, you're gonna do just fine! I mean, I'm touched that you feel safe around me, but I've got something for you that might make you feel better."

 

Rackam reaches for one of the empty lanterns; utterly at a loss for what he's trying to do, Noa lets him. He watches as Rackam focuses all of his attention on the space in front of him even though there's no candle inside, then lets out a noise of appreciation when the lantern lights up on its own.

 

"Here," Rackam says, gently closing the door intended for a candle and passing the object along to Noa. "Should've given this to ya yesterday, but I was in a rush and forgot. It holds the sun's own light, so as long as the sun keeps shining, this light shouldn't go out either. Almost like magic, isn't it?"

 

Noa exhales, cradling the lantern in his arms. "It's perfect, thank you. I...I don't know how to ever repay you for all this."

 

"Repayment? Who said anything about repayment? This is what friends do, isn't it? Make each other feel better. You don't owe me a thing, Noa."

 

"Still, I…"

 

Rackam fixes the sternest look he can manage onto Noa and Noa just laughs. "I'll trust your judgement, then. But thank you again."

 

"It's nothin', really! Just figured having a piece of the sun around might be a decent substitute for having me be here. And I want you to feel safe and not lonely and all that. Jeez, I'm worse at this than I thought I was."

 

Before Noa can get a good look at his face, Rackam is turning around and speed-walking back to the sun. "It's getting late so, uh, see you around," he calls before speeding away _just_ a little too fast to not look suspicious.

 

"See you," Noa calls back, even though Rackam is already too far away to hear him. He clutches his lantern closer to his chest and inhales deeply.

 

 _It's there_ , he thinks. _The warmth is still there_

 

_It's small, but it's still there._

 

* * *

  
  


It takes a few days for Noa to come up with a way to make Rackam feel the warmth that Noa himself feels - even though Rackam had insisted on no paybacks, Noa doesn't think it's fair for himself to be doing all the taking in this relationship.

 

So the next time that Rackam stops by for a chat, Noa is ready and greets him with a smile.

 

A deeply suspicious look crosses Rackam's face. "What, did I do something wrong? You don't normally grin at me like this for no reason. Should I be worried or scared or - "

 

"Shh. Do you remember what you told me back when I was consumed with grief? When I wanted you to stay with me but I was worried about our duties to the humans on earth."

 

"I really wish I did, but I've got the memory of a fish. You know that, right?"

 

"I was expecting that," Noa laughs. "But you told me to be more selfish, and...this is weeks late, I know, but I'm going to take you up on that offer if it'll make you feel less worried about me. Besides, with you beside me, even if I must turn into the moon, I would be content knowing that I truly lived once."

 

He takes Rackam's hands and begins leading him towards his little crater home, taking in the slowly widening smile on Rackam's face and the almost disbelieving little chortle that leaves his mouth.

 

"Stay, please."

**Author's Note:**

> come yell at me on twitter @axlotlols aaaaaAAAAAA


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